


Retail Therapy

by heyjupiter



Series: Bruce Week 2019 [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bruce Banner Week, Gen, Happy Ending, Minor Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Past Child Abuse, Post-Avengers (2012), Post-Endgame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-11-29 03:17:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18217475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyjupiter/pseuds/heyjupiter
Summary: "I got you a little gift.""Oh, for me? You didn't have to…""Well, if Ihadto, then it wouldn't be a gift, it would be the fulfillment of a contract. May I come in?"---Two scenes: the first gift Pepper Potts ever gives to Bruce, and the first gift Bruce ever gives to Morgan Stark.





	Retail Therapy

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Bruce Week](https://bruceweek.tumblr.com/) Day 7, prompts "Gentle" and "Gift."
> 
> I tagged this "Post-Endgame" but obviously given the date I'm posting, I haven't seen Endgame nor do I know what will happen in it. This isn't spoilers, just a vague, hopeful guess!
> 
> The mentions of past child abuse are pretty mild, given Bruce Banner's canon past, but it's there.
> 
> Thanks to volunteerfd for beta reading!

Bruce heard a knock at the door of the suite he'd been occupying at Stark Tower. This was confusing; the only person who ever came to see Bruce was Tony, and he never knocked. But if it were someone who wished him harm, they probably wouldn't have knocked at all, so he opened the door. On the other side stood Pepper Potts, wearing jeans and an elegant blouse. Her hands were filled with shopping bags.

She smiled. "Hi Bruce! I hope I'm not bothering you."

"No, not at all. I was just, uh, doing some reading. Did...did you need help carrying those?"

Pepper looked down at her bags. "No, I think I can manage, I don't have to carry them far." She held them out to Bruce. "I got you a little gift."

"Oh, for me? You didn't have to…"

"Well, if I _had_ to, then it wouldn't be a gift, it would be the fulfillment of a contract. May I come in?"

"Oh, yeah, of course, sorry…" Bruce stepped back into the room. "I, uh...sorry, you'll have to forgive my rusty manners. I'm not really used to...visitors."

"Nothing to forgive," Pepper assured him, with another flash of her perfect smile.

Bruce looked down at the bags, recognizing the department stores they’d come from. "Can, uh, should I open these?"

"Of course. They're for you. Just a few things I thought you might need, since I know you had to leave some things behind, and your bank account hasn't been set up yet." Pepper settled on the couch.

Bruce really hadn't had much to leave behind, but it was true that he'd arrived at Stark Tower with nothing, not even the proverbial clothes on his back. He'd meant to leave, but Tony had asked him to help with a few designs in the workshop, and then somehow Pepper had insisted that his employment needed to be formalized, and now it seemed like Bruce would be at Stark Tower for a while, despite his reservations.

He opened the bags and realized Pepper had bought him a whole new wardrobe. "Oh, Pepper, this is too much," he said, as he added items to an ever-growing mound on his bed.

"Pff, it's nothing. Do you like them? You'll really need more, but I didn't want you to have to return too many things if they weren't your style."

Bruce looked down at the borrowed AC/DC shirt on his torso, then at the pile of button-down shirts and khakis that Pepper had gotten him. "Oh, yeah, Tony probably wants his clothes back, huh?"

She laughed. "No, Tony could _not_ care less about that. He's probably already forgotten that he ever even owned that shirt. I just thought you'd be more comfortable if you had some of your own things. Tony said you liked purple?"

Bruce realized with surprise that Pepper was waiting for Bruce's approval. "Uh, yeah, I guess I do. These are great, Pepper, thank you. I really appreciate it...I know you're a busy woman."

She made a dismissive gesture. "I know it's a cliche, but I really do enjoy retail therapy. And Tony said he already tried to ask you what you needed, and you kept saying nothing, so I figured I'd just make some educated guesses. With some help from my favorite personal shopper, who loves a challenge."

"I really don't want to impose."

"Impose? Bruce, Tony and I are both so glad you're here."

"Really?" Bruce blurted out.

Pepper's face fell. "Bruce! Of course we are. I'm sorry if you haven't felt that way."

"N-no, it's not your--um, I guess I'm just not used to…" Bruce suddenly realized that any way he finished that sentence was going to sound very depressing. He cleared his throat. "I've just been on my own for a long time, and I guess I don't know how to…" He twisted his hands together. "Well, I just really appreciate your hospitality, but I don't want to wear out my welcome."

The kindness in Pepper's eyes made Bruce squirm as she asked, "Bruce, do you know what my job used to be? Before I was CEO?"

Bruce blinked. "I don't know? Uh...vice...president? Is that what you call it? Or is there a president and a CEO? I'm not really a...business guy." 

Pepper smiled. "You and Tony have that in common. Which is why he made his personal assistant the new CEO."

"Personal--oh. Wow."

"Yeah. Quite a promotion. But when I was his PA, a big part of my job, for Tony, was just getting unwanted house guests to leave. Mostly one night stands, to be honest, but not only. Job seekers, investors, reporters...anyone Tony didn't feel like talking to, it was my job to get them out the door while still feeling positively about SI."

"Oh…" Bruce felt his eyebrows crinkle with uncertainty.

"Sorry, Bruce, what I mean to say is, if we ever want you to leave, we'll let you know. I can't imagine that day will ever come, but if it does, I promise, you'll know. You don't have to keep wondering if we secretly want you to leave. Okay?"

Bruce's shoulders sagged with genuine relief. "Thanks, Pepper."

She laughed. "I think you're the only person I know who would react more favorably to getting kicked out of our house than to receiving a new cashmere sweater."

"Oh--no, I mean, the sweater is really nice, I'm sorry!" Bruce picked it up off the pile of clothes that he'd set on his bed. "It's really, um, soft."

Pepper pursed her lips. "Bruce, do you know what most people want from me and Tony?"

"...Is it sweaters?"

Pepper smiled. "Yes. We are constantly being set upon by a sweater-hungry mob."

"Then I'll be sure to treasure this."

"Maybe a better question is, Bruce, what is it that _you_ want from us?"

Bruce blinked. "I--I mean I don't want to bother you. I--I thought Tony wanted me to...."

"Bruce. What do _you_ want?"

"I--I just like working with Tony. I thought I could be useful?" He really did want to be friends with Tony, but felt too shy to say it out loud.

"Exactly! It's so refreshing, Bruce, you have no idea. You don't want anything from Tony, you just want to share ideas, and, and, friendship. Plus, it's so nice for Tony to have a real co-worker."

"Um, isn't this a very large company?"

"Sure, and how many other people do you see working directly with Tony?"

"I--I thought that was because of me," Bruce admitted.

"What?"

"I...people are usually...afraid of...me."

"And Tony didn't...oh, Bruce, is that what you've been thinking?"

"Well…people _should_ be afraid of me. Of the Other Guy."

"Ugh, Bruce, there is so much wrong with what you just said, I don't know if I have time to get into it all!" She gave her phone a quick glance. "Well, I have a few minutes, I'll give it a try. First of all, it's nonsense to say that people should be afraid of you. You're a hero."

"But…"

Pepper shook her head and kept talking. "Look, I think we both know that Tony can be a bit...reckless with his own life. But, maybe you don't know this yet, he's very protective of _me_. Honestly, I would say, overprotective. So if he thought there was even a chance that you, or, uh, the Hulk, would hurt me...Tony would have found you somewhere else to stay."

Bruce twisted his hands together. "But he…"

"You can say a lot of things about Tony, but you can't say he's not smart, Bruce. I trust him, and I trust you, and I think you should too."

Bruce sighed. Of course Tony was smart, but it didn't mean he couldn't make a mistake. Bruce knew that better than anyone. But he'd learned not to interrupt Pepper, who examined her nails before continuing, "Anyway, about those 'coworkers' you scared off...Tony can't stand to work with most people. They get in his way, or they can't keep up with him, or they try to steal his work and murder him…. You didn't scare away any of Tony's co-workers. He doesn't have any, not human ones. Well, except Rhodey, but, you know, he works as a liaison so he's only in from time to time."

"Oh."

"But Tony loves working with you. He's so excited. You can't tell?"

"I--I mean, I just...the things he says are so over the top, I assumed he was...kidding around." Earlier that day, Tony had called Bruce "the world's greatest genius" but he'd also called himself "the most brilliant inventor since Da Vinci" and his afternoon snack "the most delicious candy bar ever created," so it was hard to feel too special.

Pepper laughed. "That's just Tony. Trust me, he's thrilled that you're here, and if he weren't, JARVIS wouldn't let you in his workshop."

"Oh. Um, thanks, Pepper."

"I'm so sorry, I wish I would have checked in on you sooner. It's just been a hectic week."

Bruce let out a snort of laughter. "Wow, I can't believe that the CEO of Stark Industries hasn't made more time for the vagrant who settled in her tower. It's not like there were any big events this week, or anything, so I can't imagine what else you've been doing with your time."

"Bruce, you're not a vagrant, you're a hero. You saved Tony. And you saved all of us, with your tech…"

"I couldn't have done it without Tony."

"Well, he couldn't have done it without _you_. And if you hadn't--oh, well, I'm just so grateful you were there. And I'm grateful you're here now. Really."

"Thanks."

JARVIS chimed in, "Ms. Potts, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I recommend you leave now in order to be on time for dinner."

"Ah, thank you, JARVIS. Bruce, get dressed, we're leaving for dinner soon...ish."

"Hmm?"

She gestured at the pile of clothes on the bed. "Go on, make yourself presentable, you're coming out to dinner with me and Tony and Rhodey. Didn't Tony mention it?"

"No...are you sure he wanted--"

Pepper held up her hand to stop him. "Yes, Bruce, the reservation is for four people. It's a Mediterranean place because Tony is really fixated on shawarma now. JARVIS checked and they have plenty of vegetarian options. I'm sure Tony forgot to mention it because he got so excited about the extreme solar-powered micro-orb-whatever."

"Oh it's actually--"

Firmly but kindly, Pepper said, "Nope, I don't care about that right now, go change clothes and then meet me in the hallway. Rhodey and Tony will meet us at the restaurant. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Good." Pepper stood up from the couch and picked a purple shirt off the pile. "If you're open to suggestions, I think you should wear this eggplant one."

"Oh? The eggplant one, and not the purple one?" Bruce picked up a different purple shirt off the pile and held it in his hands for a moment, marveling at the soft, crisp fabric. He hadn't had to borrow it from a stranger's clothesline or even new friend's wardrobe. It was brand new, and just for him. 

" _That_ one is amethyst. _This_ one is eggplant," Pepper said with a wry laugh. 

"Ah, of course, my mistake." Bruce reached out and took the eggplant shirt from her. "You're right, this one is much more suitable for dinner."

"I'm so glad we see eye to eye." Pepper squeezed Bruce's shoulder on her way out of his suite. Bruce dressed himself in his new clothes and took a moment to look at himself in the mirror. He thought he looked presentable, at least. Pepper was right, it _was_ nice to have his own clothes, especially when he had an occasion to wear them.

* * *

"Welcome back, Dr. Banner. The others are home now, and Ms. Potts is expecting you in the living room."

"Thanks, FRIDAY. When did they get back?” Bruce hadn't meant to take such a long walk. He'd encountered too many distractions and time had gotten away from him.

“About an hour ago,” FRIDAY said as she slid open the front door, as Bruce’s arms were full. Bruce made his way to the living room, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the dim light. The room's glass windows, which usually showed a beautiful view of the Malibu beach, were tinted dark. Pepper sat on a rocking chair with a two-day-old infant cradled in her arms. She looked tired, but she gave Bruce a radiant smile.

"Hi Bruce!" she said softly. "Come meet Morgan."

Bruce stood next to her and smiled down at the baby, whose sleeping face peeked out from a tightly swaddled blanket. "Oh, Pep, she's beautiful. I’m sorry, I meant to be here when you got home from the hospital but, uh...I wanted to get some fresh air, and I ended up at the farmer's market, so, I got you these flowers…” Still holding a gift bag in one hand, Bruce set the full vase on the coffee table.

"Oh, Bruce, that’s so sweet, thank you! Here, will you hold her?"

Bruce's smile faded. "Oh, no, I--I couldn't."

"Bruce, c’mon, just for two seconds so I can pee."

"But, Pepper...she's so small."

Pepper laughed. "Bruce, are you scared?"

"Well, yeah."

She shook her head. "Tony was, too. You two have both fought some of the scariest things in the whole universe and you're both terrified of this baby."

"I mean, what if--"

"Bruce, tell me, you really think I would do _anything_ to put Morgan at risk?"

"Well, no, of course not, but--"

"So trust me when I say that I trust you to hold her. Now sit down on the sofa and I'll bring her to you."

Pepper's tone brooked no disagreements, so Bruce sat down on the sofa. He set the gift bag down at his feet. 

"Now, hold out your arms…" Pepper instructed. "Make sure to support her head." Bruce carefully followed her instructions and was rewarded with the terrifying, tiny weight in his arms. Pepper beamed and snapped a photo. "Oh, her first time meeting Uncle Bruce! So cute. See, I knew you could do it."

Bruce smiled down at the sleeping baby. 

"Okay, now I have _got_ to pee, I will be right back."

"What? You're leaving?"

"For like two seconds. Bruce, Jesus Christ, you are a doctor and an Avenger."

"I'm retired!"

"Well, if anything happens while I'm in the bathroom for _two seconds_ , you'll simply have to come back out of retirement." Walking awkwardly, Pepper made her way out of the living room. Bruce was pretty sure it was going to take her longer than two seconds.

"Hey Morgan," Bruce whispered. "It would be super great if you could just stay asleep until your mom gets back. That's all I ask." In response, she snuggled a little deeper into Bruce's arms, and his heart swelled. He was too nervous to move any of his other muscles.

After an eternity, he looked up and saw Pepper standing in the doorway watching him. She smiled when he looked at her. "You're a natural, Bruce."

"I don't know about that."

She settled on the sofa next to him, and Bruce gently lifted Morgan up toward her. "Oh, no, would you keep holding her for a little longer? Please?"

"Where’s Tony?”

“He’s just taking a little nap, he didn’t sleep at all at the hospital. Please, keep her.”

“If you’re sure.”

"Positive."

"Okay." Bruce brought Morgan back over to his own lap as Pepper slowly stretched each of her arms out behind her head in turn. "So, um, how did everything go at the hospital? Tony texted me some updates but they were kind of, uh, incoherent.”

"That’s not surprising. It went pretty well...I had a long labor, but not a particularly hard one. But I genuinely thought Tony might annoy the nurse to death. Literally to death. Literally if he asked her one more question, I thought her brain might just shut down to put her out of her misery."

Bruce chuckled, easily able to imagine the nurse's plight. "He's so excited to be a dad."

"Yeah," Pepper said, her tone warm.

"How are _you_ feeling?"

"Well...sore. But madly in love with Morgan, of course. How could I not be?"

"Right."

Pepper tilted her head and looked at Bruce suspiciously. "Bruce, what's wrong?"

"No, nothing. I'm so happy for you two. And I'm so happy for Morgan that she gets to grow up with such great parents."

"Oh, Bruce," Pepper said, her voice suddenly full of understanding. "Oh, I'm so sorry that you...that you didn't get to have that."

"I had some of it," Bruce said, thinking of how hard his mother had tried to protect him.

"You deserved all of it," Pepper said fiercely. "And so did Tony."

"Thanks, Pepper. Sorry, I didn't mean to bring the mood down, I just...look at her, and she's already so amazing and perfect and I...can't help but wonder what my father thought when I was this age, and he looked at me?"

"I'm sorry, but who gives a shit what he thought, Bruce? It doesn't have anything to do with _you_. It has everything to do with _him_ being fucked up."

Bruce nodded and looked back down at little Morgan. He had to imagine that his father had loved him when he was a baby, at least a little bit. How could anyone hate a baby? But when did he stop? "Yeah. No, I--um, hey, I got some other presents while I was out. They're on the floor."

His words hung in the air for a moment before Pepper decided to accept his clunky change of subject. "Bruce! You didn't have to."

"Well, that's what makes it a gift."

Pepper picked up the gift bag and said, "Can I open it, or should I wait for Tony to wake up?"

"It's for Morgan. But I don't think she has the hand-eye coordination to open it on her own."

"No, probably not for another few days at least," Pepper said wryly.

She opened the bag and pulled out a board book called _Astrophysics for Babies_. "Oh, perfect, her Uncle Bruce can read her a bedtime story and then help her with her college applications!"

Bruce smiled. "I can't wait." Abruptly, he realized he'd been afraid to meet Morgan out of fear that he'd somehow still end up like his father, but the more he looked at the tiny baby and imagined watching her grow up, the more he knew that he'd never hurt her. Bruce's shoulders sagged with relief. His therapist was going to be _so_ proud of that revelation. 

Pepper set down the book and held up a bright green teddy bear. "It's perfect."

"I know she already has plenty of toys, but, you know, I just saw it and…"

"She'll love it. Especially after she develops the ability to see colors."

"Did you know red is the first color babies' eyes can distinguish?"

"Yeah, Tony has mentioned that fact several times."

"She'll see your hair!"

"Aw…" Pepper sounded the slightest bit choked up. "That's really sweet. Tony is obviously excited about showing her Iron Man."

Bruce laughed. "Obviously. Oh, there's one more thing in there."

Pepper reached back in the bag and pulled out a onesie that said "Future CEO." "Well, hang on, is she coming for my job now? Do I need to update my resume?"

"Maybe she'll start her own company."

"I guess SI could do with a little healthy competition," Pepper mused.

"Anyway, by the time she's done with grad school, I think you'll be more than ready to retire on a beach somewhere. Well, people always say 'on a beach _somewhere_ ' but I guess you're on a beach right now. You can retire on a beach, here."

"That feels so far away, but I know the time will go by so fast." Pepper held up the onesie again. "You don't think this will put too much pressure on her, do you? I just want her to be happy, I don't really care what she does when she grows up."

"I think once she learns how to read, you can have a conversation with her about what kinds of messages she'd like her wardrobe to send."

"Mmm, that's a good point. So I have a couple of years to keep making her wear shirts that say 'I Heart Mom'?"

"Oh, I imagine she'll want to wear those up through grad school, at least."

Pepper smiled. "I can't wait to send her out shopping with Uncle Bruce."

Bruce smiled back and cooed, "Oh, Morgan, you are going to get so many compliments from the old ladies at the farmers market."

"I meant for clothes. It sounds like you have some great ideas."

"I'm happy to help. But I know her mom will make sure that she understands the importance of developing a personal sense of style.”

“I hope so. I...I just know it’ll be hard for her, that her parents are...are, well, us.”

“What do you mean?” It was so obvious to Bruce that Pepper would be a great mom that he was confused to finally realize she was nervous, too.

“Well...even putting Howard's issues aside...it was so hard for Tony growing up in his father’s shadow. I don’t want Morgan to feel that way.”

Bruce looked down at Morgan. “Oh, she won’t.”

“How do you know?”

“Pepper, do you remember the very first week I lived at Stark Tower? After the Chitauri attack?”

“Of course.”

“Do you remember when you bought me a bunch of clothes?”

“Oh, yeah. You just looked so uncomfortable in Tony’s T-shirts!”

“I hadn’t even thought about it, but you were right, I was. And I’ve never forgotten how kind and perceptive that was, Pepper, and I was basically a stranger to you then. You’re going to raise your daughter with so much love and compassion, she’s going to be able to express herself as an individual just fine. Oh, no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry...”

"They're happy tears, Bruce, thank you. That means a lot to me."

Bruce looked over at Pepper’s teary face. “Hey, you wanna hold her?”

She sniffed and nodded, and Bruce carefully handed Morgan over, letting out a mental sigh of relief that he had successfully completed his first attempt at holding the baby. “Rhodey said he was going to bring dessert over, but I’ll start on making dinner,” Bruce offered. “Any requests?”

“Mm, maybe that spicy eggplant thing you started making when I was craving eggplant all the time? And make a lot, please, I'm starving.”

“You got it.”

"Thanks, Bruce."

"It's my pleasure."

In the kitchen, Bruce hummed to himself as he began preparing his variant of baba ghanoush. He was thrilled to be able to contribute to what he was sure would be the happiest family dinner he’d ever attended.

**Author's Note:**

> At this time, the top Amazon review for [Astrophysics for Babies](https://www.amazon.com/Astrophysics-Babies-University-Chris-Ferrie/dp/1492671134/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=astrophysics+for+babies&qid=1553397883&s=gateway&sr=8-2) is a polite complaint about a scientific inaccuracy in the text, and I absolutely believe that this complaint is from the fictional character Bruce Banner posting under an alternate name.


End file.
